I’ve always wanted a security camera, but the wiring would be expensive. Someone on Nextdoor reported a theft, and someone else suggested the Blink Outdoor wireless camera with motion detection. The AA lithium batteries can power it for up to two years, and there’s an app to see the images on your phone. Sounds good, right?
Of course I read the negative reviews, and someone balked at paying $120 for a subscription. Yeah, I’d balk too. But in the product description it says:
Store video clips and photos in the cloud with the Blink Subscription Plan and save events locally to the Blink Sync Module 2 via a USB flash drive (sold separately).
Am I reading this correctly that you can store videos in the cloud if you have a subscription, but if you don’t have a subscription you can store the videos for free on a flash drive? If so, that sounds good. But then in the Q&A there’s this [emphasis mine]:
The Blink Outdoor cameras come with a trial of the Blink Subscription service through the end of the year, December 31, 2020, at which time you can choose to continue the subscription option for a nominal fee, use the sync module 2 for local storage with a compatible USB flash drive (the flash drive would have to be purchased separately), or if you do neither you can still access the live view and receive notifications however nothing would record.
OK, I misunderstood the manufacturer’s comment. That’s what I get when I’m browsing and working at the same time.
Reading further, I see:
Local Storage: Blink Sync Module 2
Save motion clips and photos from up to 10 Blink cameras connected to the Blink Sync Module 2 locally in your home and view them through the Blink app or the computer by plugging in a USB flash drive (sold separately) for no additional fee.
I’m still working, and then I’m off on an errand. From the pictures on the product page, it looks like the USB flash drive would go into the synch module, and the synch module plugs into AC. So I’m guessing that I could pull the flas drive and plug it into my computer to see recordings, and I’ll know I have a recording when I’m notified on the phone and look at the live feed.
The most popular outdoor security cameras generally seem to require subscriptions for maximal storage/viewing convenience. The company model thus seems to be following the pattern of home security systems, in which the equipment is (relatively) cheap, but the real profits are in selling monthly or annual subscriptions for monitoring.
Wiring an outdoor camera basically involves one of two things - hooking it up to an electric outlet or powering it via an ethernet cable (power over ethernet, POE). Either can be a pain to set up, but neither are expensive.
There are less known but good wireless outdoor security camera manufacturers. I have used Reolink products in the past. This is an example of one of their non-wired options using a battery that can be recharged by a small solar panel. It has better resolution (4 MP) than typical for the Blink/Nest etc. cameras that offer 2.1 MP resolution or less, which is adequate for closeups of faces but insufficient for recording auto license plates. A caveat about the Reolink battery cameras is you need a good Wi-Fi signal, otherwise you won’t have reliable performance unless the camera is close to the router.
Subscription or no subscription, another consideration worth noting is that many police departments are gaining access to cloud-stored home-security video by various legal mechanisms.
Example, specific to Ring doorbell cameras, but illustrative:
If this is important to you, it’s probably worth checking the policies of your potential vendor/manufacturer to see how they handle this kind of thing.
If you don’t mind dealing with obscure electronics brands, if you have a spare outdoor light socket, a light socket camera will save you the trouble of wiring anything or worrying about batteries.
Did. The flood light was in the left socket, and an extension cord was in the right one. I was using the chainsaw a month or so ago, and the right socket stopped working. But even if it worked (I should probably replace it), the floodlight would be on 24/7.
ETA: I added a new floodlight to my shopping cart. I noticed that the camera that was (I think) $55 yesterday has gone up to $100. So I deleted it.
I got onto Amazon’s chat and told them they’d lost a sale. Or multiple sales, as I was considering buying at least one more if I liked the first one. They said their pricing is dynamic. Like, ‘Oh, someone has this in his cart! Let’s raise the price!’ Or: ‘Oh, two people have clicked on a link to this product on a message board! Let’s raise the price!’
I’ve got an old Lorax system laying around. One camera, battery or plug-in, black and white monitor for inside. Wife used it to keep an eye on the sheep when they were fixin’ to give birth (always in a snowstorm at 3am).
I have a Blink doorbell, one outdoor camera, and two outdoor cameras attached to floodlights. All are battery powered and I do not have a subscription. The clips are saved to a 64gb USB 3.0 flashdrive that is plugged into the side of the sync module that is plugged in my living room.
The cameras function more or less the same with or without the subscription with some differences.
As mentioned, without a subscription your videos are saved locally, not in the cloud.
Consistent speed. Without the subscription, although you get notified immediately of motion detection, it sometimes t takes longer for your clips to show up in your app. Sometimes it is very fast and you can’t tell and it seems the same. The clips allegedly take longer to play when you press on them, but I can’t tell.
Thumbnails. Without the subscription, the app tells you the time and location, but the clip icon is gray, rather than showing you a picture of what was recorded.
Although you have the ability to see what your cameras sees instantly by pressing the “live camera” button, you cannot record live camera without a subscription. For example, if you hear somebody in the backyard and turn on the live camera feature, you will be able to see them, but you can’t record them. However, if the person in the backyard trips the camera to record, they will be recorded with or without a subscription.
Without a subscription, you can only erase one clip at a time. It is fastest to remove your usb, put it in your computer, and erase them that way.
Thank you, Gatopescado. (Can I call you ‘Catfish’? ) I think I’d like to have a system that alerts to my phone, etc. I appreciate the offer, though. It’s not pressing, so I’ll wait until Amazon forgets I was looking at the Blink and lowers the price.
) I think I’d like to have a system that alerts to my phone, etc. I appreciate the offer, though. It’s not pressing, so I’ll wait until Amazon forgets I was looking at the Blink and lowers the price. 